Robbery at Somersworth Plaza still under investigation

SOMERSWORTH — The investigation into an armed robbery Thursday night at the Somersworth Plaza on Main Street is still under way, according to Somersworth Captain David Kretschmar.

At approximately 7:48 p.m. Thursday, police responded to the Somersworth Plaza for a report of a woman claiming a man had entered her vehicle and ran off with her purse. According to Somersworth Sgt. Thomas Phalen, the victim told officers an individual entered her vehicle and brandished a black firearm.

The suspect then took the victim's purse, which contained an undetermined amount of money, and fled the area on foot, heading north between City Hall and the Post Office.

A bloodhound brought to the scene by the Rochester Police Department was able to track the suspect's scent to the City Hall area on Government Way before the trail eventually disappeared.

Phalen said police are also looking into whether a second individual, who reportedly stood behind the vehicle during the robbery, is also a suspect in the case.

The victim, who asked her identity be withheld, told Foster's she had approximately $1,100 in cash in her purse along with a money order she had recently obtained from the Rochester Hannaford. She said she believes the men may have followed her from Hannaford to the Somersworth Plaza Thursday night.

The victim also stated she knew the suspect and had identified him to police.